Main menu

DAYTONA 500: Montoya in it for himself, more NASCAR notes

February 11, 2010

Juan Pablo Montoya has won the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix, and he's won a NASCAR road race. Even so, he doesn't think many people in his native Colombia care much about his NASCAR career.

“They probably don't realize what a big deal the Daytona 500 is,” he said Friday. “They didn't realize it was a big deal when I won Indy and they didn't think it was a big deal when I won at Monaco. They probably [wouldn't] think winning the Daytona 500 [is] a big deal, either.

“I don't know and I really don't care. I don't do this for anybody else; I do this for [me]. If people appreciate what I do, then great. If they don't, well, I'm having a great time out here. If somebody doesn't want to pay attention, it's their miss, not mine.”

Greatest of All-Time

Daytona International Speedway recently conducted a poll to determine the five best finishes in Daytona 500 history. They selections:

1. The 1959 photo-finish between Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp that took officials three days to decide in Petty's favor.

2. The last-lap, last-turn, 1976 crash between David Pearson and Richard Petty that gave Pearson his only 500 victory.

3. Jeff Gordon's 1999 win over Dale Earnhardt, a race that some felt signaled the changing of the guard in NASCAR.

4. Kevin Harvick's last-lap, last-turn, high-line pass of Mark Martin to win the 2007 race that Martin seemed destined to win until the final half-mile or so.

5. Dale Jarrett's emotional 1993 win over Dale Earnhardt as CBS commentator Ned Jarrett openly cheered for his son in what he called “The Dale and Dale Show.”

Notebook

--Someone with too much time on their hands has estimated that the 28 Cup cars damaged to some extent during Speed Week have shed 18,480 pounds of sheet metal worth about $42,000.

--Seven-time Daytona 500 winner Richard Petty will bring Sunday's field to the green flag in a Ford Mustang GT pace car. It's the first time Ford has provided the 500's pace car since 1970, when it was a Torino GT convertible.

--Three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon will use a backup car on Sunday. His primary Chevrolet was damaged in Thursday's 150-mile qualifying race.

--Carl Edwards and his wife, Kate, are expecting their first child (a girl) any day now. A sponsor's delight, Edwards deftly worked a commercial into a Friday press conference answer. “I've got my new phone that Sprint gave me that's working well,” he said. “I'm just waiting for a phone call.”

--Kansas Entertainment (a branch of Kansas Speedway and International Speedway Corp.) has received final approval to build a Hollywood-themed destination casino overlooking turn two at Kansas Speedway. Construction will begin this summer and be completed early in 2012. ISC is expected to eventually give Kansas Speedway a second NASCAR date, taking it from one of its current properties.

--The 43-car grid for Sunday afternoon's Daytona 500 shows 14 Chevrolets fielded by a combined seven teams, 13 Fords from five teams, 13 Toyotas from eight teams and three Dodges from one team.

--With qualifying rained out, Chrissy Wallace made the Nationwide Series 300 field based on last year's owner points. She'll start 35th and join her father, Mike, her uncle Kenny and her cousin Steven in the 120-lap race.